STEVIE REMEMBERED: DAVIE HAY

CQN today pays tribute to Stevie Chalmers who sadly passed away a year ago today at the age of 83.

We are publishing the memories of 12 months ago as Celtic greats honoured the man who scored the most heralded and feted goal in the club’s history, the European Cup winner against Inter Milan in Lisbon on May 25 1967.

DAVIE HAY acclaimed Stevie Chalmers as a man who welcomed him to Celtic when he was a kid.

The Hoops legend, 72, recalled the early days when he trained with the reserves and his first meeting with the famous Lisbon Lions.

Hay, who managed and played for the club, told CQN: “It was a real treat to be introduced to the players who had won the European Cup in May 1967.

“I was part of a squad of youngsters such as Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain, Lou Macari and George Connelly who got to train with the first team back then.

“The first thing that struck you about these guys were how down-to-earth they were and how helpful they were, too.

“Each and every one of them made it part of their job to get to know the names of the new boys who were training alongside them.

“It was a real thrill to talk to the likes of Stevie, Big Billy, Bertie Auld and Tommy Gemmell and, although we didn’t know it at the time, we were slowly being integrated into the Celtic way of things by Jock Stein.

“These guys actually welcomed us into their group, there were no airs or graces about Stevie or the others.

“They might have been the first British team to win the European Cup and Stevie might have been the guy who scored the historic winning goal, but you wouldn’t have known these guys were so special.

“Ironically, I actually managed Stevie’s son Paul when I was manager at St Mirren in the early nineties.

“Like his dad, Paul was a striker and he was good for a goal or two.

“However, there was only one bloke called Chalmers who would score a goal that will live forever in everyone’s memory banks.”

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